1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a combination dryer, and more particularly, to an operation method for a combination dryer which enables air in a drying drum and a cabinet for drying the laundry to circulate continuously and enables condensed water generated in the circulation process to perform a refreshing cycle by using the water.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
In general, a dryer is an electric home appliance which can dry cloth items, cloths and beddings (hereinafter, ‘the laundry’). The dryer dries the laundry by supplying hot air to the washed laundry continuously.
FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional tumble dryer of a related art dryer.
That is, the related art tumble dryer includes a body 10, a drying drum 20, a door 40, a motor 50, a drying heater 60 and a fan 70.
The body 10 defines an exterior of the tumble dyer, and the drying drum 20 is rotatably mounted inside of the body 10.
Also, an opening 11 is formed in front of the body 10, and the door 40 is coupled for opening/closing the opening 11.
The motor 50 is secured to an inner downside of the body 10 for creating a driving force to rotate the drying drum 20 and the fan 70.
The drying heater 60 is mounted on an inner portion of a hot air supply channel 81 for heating air flowing within the hot air supply channel 81. The hot air supply channel 81 guides a hot air passage supplied into the drying drum 20.
The fan 70 discharges dry air flowing inside of the drying drum 10 outside, and is provided in communication with a hot air discharge channel 82.
Thus, once the fan 70 is put into operation, external air is guided by the hot air supply channel 81 and heated by passing through the drying heater 60 to be drawn into the drying drum 10.
Thereby, the damp laundry introduced into the drying drum 10 is getting dried by the heated external air gradually.
The air having dried the laundry by being circulated within the drying drum 10 is guided by the hot air supplying channel 82 to be discharged outside.
Once drying is completed by the repeated performance of the above process, the fane 70 and the drying heater 60 are stopped to finish a drying cycle.
However, the related art tumble dryer has a problem that drying for a tangled portion of the laundry is not dried smoothly, because the drying cycle is in process in a state of the laundry being introduced together at one time.
There is another problem that it is impossible to keep the laundry for a long time in the related art tumble dryer.
Thus, recently demands have been increasing accordingly for a new type of a combination dryer having a drying capacity thereof enlarged as well as capable of keeping the laundry for a long time. There are various combination dryers provided with tumble dryers having auxiliary cabinet dryers provided therewith, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2004-0194339 A1 or U.S. Pat. No. 2004-0154194.
The above combination dryer allows a cabinet dryer provided on a top of a conventional dryer having a rotatory drum. The cabinet dryer has space for the laundry and receives hot air used to dry or keep the laundry for a long time.
However, the combination dryer described above has an inconvenience that a user should directly supply water needed for steam generation to refresh the laundry by using steam.
Especially, since a refreshing process may be performed even in lack of the water needed for the steam generation, a problem may be caused that the refreshing process is not performed smoothly.